Police bosses ‘ignored’ advice against building walls

Police bosses in Mombasa County defied security intelligence briefs against use of perimeter walls to secure police stations, the Nation has learnt.

Reports say senior National Intelligence Service (NIS) officers were opposed to the building of walls around Central, Nyali, Makupa, Likoni and Bamburi police stations.

READ: Govt yet to fence Mombasa police stations

DANGER

Multiple sources within the NIS said they recommended to the senior police officers the use of barbed wire mesh or metal grille for an unrestricted view of the police stations and their surroundings, for with such a fence it would be “easy to see through what is happening around the stations”.

“They defied our directives and resorted to using concrete blocks to fence these stations. We foresee the danger ahead but they seem not to understand.”

TERRORISMNIS further recommended installation of security video surveillance cameras around the police stations for their close monitoring.

The fencing of the stations followed a foiled terror attack on Central Police Station in Mombasa’s central business district.

READ: Police want more time to investigate attack

BOMBING

Three radicalised young women raided the station and one attempted to detonate herself while the other two were neutralised.

That incident rekindled memories of August 1, 2003 when a suspected terrorist denoted an explosive device concealed on his body, killing a policeman and injuring another one and himself outside the police station.

The man was arrested during an operation against accomplices of three bombers who killed 13 people in a suicide bombing of the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel in Kikambala, Kilifi County.

FENCING

Mr Karanja Kibicho, Principal Secretary for Interior, ordered the fencing of all police stations in Mombasa last September.

He directed 10 officers commanding police stations (OCSs) in the county to present their budgets for the works.

CORRUPTION

The plan was however turned into a cash cow by senior officers after well-wishers and corporate bodies volunteered to secure the stations, another source said.

“Our advice was ignored by police bosses, presumably because of vested monetary interests in the entire project,” the source said.

Nyali Police Station in Nyali Constituency was the first to be fenced by residents and the local business community under the Nyali Business and Residents Association (Nibra) chaired by Ms Wangari Ndegwa.

When contacted, Coast regional police boss Larry Kieng, who was transferred to the region recently, only said: “I have no comment on that. Thank you.”